


Heartbeats

by eagle_of_idiocy (flamingofics)



Series: What We Remember Forever [4]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Cuddling & Snuggling, Family Feels, Friendship, Gen, Heartbeats, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Leonard McCoy Is A Good Dad, Past Child Abuse, Tickling, Vulcan Biology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 18:20:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17309558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingofics/pseuds/eagle_of_idiocy
Summary: “Some emotions don’t make a lot of noise. It’s hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint – like a heartbeat. And pure love – why, some days it’s so quiet, you don’t even know it’s there.” –Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)In which McCoy takes a break.





	Heartbeats

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Never Too Late](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7506238) by [eagle_of_idiocy (flamingofics)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingofics/pseuds/eagle_of_idiocy). 



> Reading "Never Too Late" is highly recommended prior to reading any other part of the "What We Remember Forever" series. If anything, please at least read this series' description! Thank you!
> 
> Also, a reminder: the OOC-ness on Spock's part was somewhat unavoidable due to nature of the initial prompt that sparked this little universe. By default I tried to write him as in-character as possible given the circumstances.

Leonard McCoy fell back onto his office couch with a sigh. A double shift hadn’t been good for him at all, but he’d done what he had to. With M’Benga out for another two days (from a broken leg he’d managed to get himself after the _Enterprise_ ’s latest away mission), McCoy was stuck with the extra work. Granted, there wasn’t really anything that needed to be _done_ ; it had been a fairly quiet day, and with no patients that needed his immediate or constant attention, McCoy had settled for doing routine inventory. Again. For the second time that day.

It was amazing how doing essentially nothing all day could make somebody so tired. McCoy tossed an arm over his face and shut his eyes, happy to finally be getting a well-deserved break.

His office door chimed. “Come,” the doctor called, managing to suppress a groan. He didn’t bother getting up. He was off duty, dammit, and unless somebody came in reporting a crisis he wasn’t going to bother with making himself officially presentable.

The door slid open and Nurse Chapel poked her head in, a smile on her face. “Doctor McCoy,” she said sweetly, sounding as if she was suppressing a giggle, “you have a small guest.”

McCoy lifted his arm from his face and couldn’t stop his smile from forming at the sight of the small figure approaching him.

“Hey there, Jimbo,” he greeted warmly, sitting up slightly on the couch. “What do you have there?” He gestured to the large piece of replicated paper in Jim’s hands. Christine’s smile grew and she quietly ducked out, leaving the two alone.

“Bones, look!” The child thrust the paper enthusiastically at the doctor, who took it and held it up in front of him.

“This is nice, Jim,” McCoy said, taking in the sweeping shapes and rather vibrant colors of the drawing. “Did you make this?”

“Uh-huh!” Jim said, nodding. “It’s the _Enterprise_ , see?” McCoy looked closer and smiled wider as he saw the resemblance. “Mister Chekov helped me. He got dagrums… um, dig… dia…”

“Diagrams?” McCoy offered gently.

“Yeah! He got those from Mister Scotty so I could make it okay.”

“Well, you did a great job,” McCoy said, setting aside the drawing and ruffling the boy’s hair. “I’m real proud of you, sport.” Jim’s eyes shined at the praise. “We’ll definitely have to put it up somewhere. How about by—” The doctor suddenly cut off as a stretching yawn overtook his last word. He’d nearly forgotten how tired he was. As the yawn subsided, McCoy slumped back onto the couch, suddenly unwilling to sit up any longer.

Jim regarded him curiously. “Is it your naptime now, Bones?”

McCoy couldn’t stop the chuckle. “Yeah, I’d say it’s about that time.” His eyes shut of their own accord and he lay still. Jim was silent for a moment before he inched closer.

“Bones?” McCoy cracked an eye open at Jim’s quiet inquiry. “Can I, um… Can I nap, too?”

That kid was going to be the death of him if he didn’t stop looking like a kicked puppy every time he asked for something. He knew that clinically, you couldn’t be killed by cuteness, but _damn_ , Jim was cutting it close.

 _You’re too damn adorable for your own good, Jim_ , the doctor thought fondly.

McCoy opened his arms up wide. “C’mere, kiddo.”

Jim didn’t wait, eagerly climbing up onto the couch with the doctor. McCoy couldn’t resist, and as soon as the child was on top of him, he seized the moment and quirked his fingers against the boy’s ribs. Jim positively squealed; he tried to retaliate as he was wrapped up in the doctor’s arms, only to duck his head and squirm in breathless mirth as McCoy blew a raspberry against the side of his neck.

Eventually McCoy ceased his attack, lying back against the cushions as Jim regained his breath.

“No fair, Bones!” Jim chided, although he was smiling. “You’re bigger!”

McCoy shrugged. “Cut me a break, kid, I need _some_ kind of advantage, don’t I?” He ruffled Jim’s hair again, his heart warming at the sight of the boy’s obvious enjoyment of the touch. McCoy settled himself more snugly on the couch, watching as Jim seemed to get the idea and do the same. The doctor sighed contentedly, ready to be swept up in a few blissful hours of sleep, when he felt Jim deliberately move down his side and settle against his waist, resting his head against McCoy’s abdomen.

Jim’s head suddenly lifted, an unsure look on his face. He set his head back down, pressing his ear against McCoy’s lower ribcage as if he were listening for something. McCoy raised an eyebrow as Jim sat up and pressed a hand to where his head had been second before. There was an expression of determination and confusion on the boy’s face now, and McCoy decided to speak up.

“What the matter, Jim?”

Jim looked up at him, his eyes almost worried. “Bones, where’s your heartbeat?”

For a short moment McCoy didn’t speak, a little stumped at the strange question. Then he gently pulled Jim up towards his chest, taking one of his small hands and pressing it over the left side of his chest.

“It’s right there,” he answered, watching Jim’s face light up in realization. McCoy took the boy’s hand and moved it to his own chest. “See? Yours is right there, too.”

“Oh.” Jim looked genuinely surprised, but seemed to take the information in stride, instantly curling up against McCoy and laying his head against his chest. McCoy considered letting the question simply go, but his curiosity got the better of him.

“Why’d you think it was down there, Jim?” he asked good-naturedly.

Jim spoke as if it was the most well-known fact in the universe: “’Cause that’s where Mister Spock’s is.”

A sly grin worked its way onto McCoy’s face. _Of course._

“Is it, now?” he asked, speaking with the air of a knowing parent. Jim nodded against him.

“Uh-huh. When he gives me hugs I feel it here.” He poked McCoy just below the ribs. “And sometimes when I nap, he lets me use his tummy as a pillow.”

McCoy couldn’t stop his growing laughter. He knew that Spock had to have been crawling out from under his logical rock for Jim ever since that first day in sickbay, but the sheer thought of the Vulcan willingly hugging Jim and allowing the child to cuddle with him was just too much.

When his laughter subsided, Jim spoke again. “Bones, how come yours and Spock’s hearts are in different spots?”

McCoy settled down and drew Jim closer to him. “Well, kid, we’re both just… different on the inside,” he said, feeling his eyes droop as his mirth sobered. “It’s just how we’re made up; doesn’t really mean much after all, since we can’t change it. It’s what’s on the outside that really matters.” McCoy’s eyes shut. “I suppose we’re different on the outside, too. But… we can all change on the outside, Jim, and that’s what matters. Even if our bodies are different or we come from different places, we can all change. We can get along and find common ground. I know that Spock and I… don’t share a whole lot of that, but I’m pretty sure we both care about you the same way. If what you’re saying is true, Jim, then I _know_ that that’s the truth.”

McCoy wasn’t sure just when he had stopped talking to Jim and started talking to himself. It was interesting that it took Jim reverting into a child to get him to think about the similarities between Spock and himself. It was true – he and Spock didn’t share a lot together – but now that he was actually thinking about it, McCoy knew that there was much more to the Vulcan than he’d always given him credit for. Spock was certainly more than capable of experiencing emotion, and now that he appeared to be coming out of his shell it was much more interesting to interact with him. Perhaps after this was all over – after Jim was back to his adult self – McCoy could try out a proper friendship with Spock. It was certainly worth a try.

Jim hadn’t said anything after McCoy had finished speaking, and the doctor assumed he’d started falling asleep. Taking a deep breath and sighing softly, McCoy began to let himself drift away into his eagerly-anticipated nap.

Against him, Jim suddenly gasped in remembrance.

“Bones! Did you know that Mister Spock is a kitty?”

McCoy snorted violently with laughter.


End file.
